The Conditioned

Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho was homeless in São Paulo, Brazil, for nearly 35 years, and became locally known for sitting in the same spot and writing every day. In April 2011, he was befriended by a young woman named Shalla Monteiro. Impressed by his poetry and wanting to help him with his dream of publishing a book, she created a Facebook Page to feature Raimundo’s writing. Neither could have expected what happened next.

See more about Raimundo and his poetry on his Facebook Page maintained by Shalla: facebook.com/ocondicionado

This short film uses footage from a documentary about Raimundo shot in São Paulo in 2011 and 2012, along with interviews and scenes filmed in Goîana, Brazil, in January 2014.

This is one of 10 stories celebrating Facebook’s 10th anniversary and a decade of connections made possible through the platform. See the rest at facebookstories.com/10